Blizzard job listing hints a new Overwatch project could be in the works

Are we in for a surprise announcement at BlizzCon?

A recently posted job listing at Blizzard suggests that a new Overwatch project might be in the works. The studio is seeking a "generalist artist intern" to work on an unannounced project, and one of the "recommended talents" is a familiarity with Overwatch.

"An unannounced project at Blizzard is seeking an intern to help create a wide range of assets to help bring our game to life," the listing states. "You will work closely with our concept, environment and character teams to create hard surface and organic props, weapons and possibly characters that are both detail-oriented and consistent with the art style we’ve defined."

Most of the requirements aren't terribly important to our interests. The listing calls for "experience modeling and texturing hard surface and organics using Maya, 3dsmax, Photoshop, Zbrush, or Mudbox," plus a background in traditional arts, good communications skills, and all that sort of thing. You have to be a student, eligible to work in the US, and able to handle full-time hours during specific windows in 2018. Fairly straightforward stuff.

But that recommended talent is noteworthy: The successful applicant will ideally have "knowledge and understanding of the Overwatch universe." That's the only game that gets a specific mention in the listing, and since knowledge of Overwatch would be of limited value in making a game in, say, the StarCraft universe, the obvious implication is that the wheels are turning on some new Overwatch stuff.

Prognosticating based on job listings is a tricky and imprecise business, but this rumor is made more interesting by the existence of preceding tales of help wanted: Listings in June for an animator and engineers to work on an also-unannounced first-person project, and in November 2016 that referenced "a robust first-person engine for an unannounced project." Overwatch is the only first-person game in Blizzard's lineup, so unless it's building a brand-new shooter to run alongside it, it's not too much of a leap to say that the obvious conclusion is more Overwatch.

I've emailed Blizzard for more information and on the off-chance that someone replies, I'll let you know. In the meantime, don't forget that BlizzCon—and a perfect opportunity to drop a big surprise on a hyped-up crowd of fans—is coming in November.